Gathering In Numbers
by alyss.in.wonderland
Summary: Everyone thought that Jake's bad luck had mixed with Ashley's good luck... but no one stopped to think about the fortunes of one particular member of McFly. DannyTom, JakeAshley, slight MaggieTom, slash, mpreg
1. The Afterparty

**AN: This fic takes place after the events of Just My Luck and has a small interpretation of what the ending meant for me. (Ie. that when Jake and Ashley kissed so much at the end, they completely mixed their luck up, so they both get a mix of good and bad luck.)**

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing of this story – nothing! (Except the plot, but come on – no-one wants this old thing!) Just My Luck is just a film, Ashley and Jake are fictional and McFly belong to themselves. This story is COMPLETELY fictional!**

* * *

_Jake kissed Ashley, holding her face gently and making each touch of his lips on hers last deeper and deeper. The words on the screen above them changed constantly, from 'delayed' back to 'on schedule' and then back to 'delayed'… and soon the letters became a large jumble, spelling out 'ond seclayduled'. Ashley grinned, before handing Katy her last lottery scratch card to keep and the pair of them kissed Katy on the cheek. She scurried away, before scratching her card._

"_Wow! Twenty five dollars!" she squealed, jumping up and down madly. "I'm rich!" The pair of them grinned at her, and followed her out of the train station to the main street, where they discussed if Ashley could live with them for a while, seeing as there wasn't enough room in her friend's flat for her anymore. They kissed by the roadside again, before a fire hydrant exploded and covered them in water. They gasped and tried to duck, but got soaked to the skin. And then they just laughed, before heading back towards the party they'd left behind._

_And suddenly, Ashley recognized someone she'd never expect to see again. Huddled up in a doorway, Madame Z was shuffling her tarot deck and looking for her next customer. Ashley looked at here again, to make sure it was who she thought it was, before coming over._

"_Madame Z? It's me, Ashley Albright." The woman looked up at her as she held Jake's hand tightly. "Look, about that whole… fortune thing, I just want to say thanks…"_

"_And ask me for another reading?" she smirked. Ashley looked confused. "Well, don't you want to know what happens next?"_

"_We'd prefer to make our own way rather than just look at stars thanks." Jake replied, holding Ashley by her waist_

"_But what about your band? Don't you want to know if it's worth having them here for much longer?" Jake looked at Madame Z, and then at Ashley, before nodding._

"_Fine, just give me a reading for a laugh. Whatever's best for you." He sat down on the step next to her, letting Ashley rest her head in his lap. Madame Z shuffled her deck again, before closing her eyes and drawing out the first card._

"_The Two of Swords… reversed, it means betrayal of trust, tension after a quarrel. Never a good one to have." she stated, sighing before drawing out her second card._

"_The Queen of Cups… it represents a healer and counsellor, observant and never biased." Ashley turned to Jake in concern as the third card was drawn and laid out on the concrete in front of them._

"_The Reversed Moon… it seems as if this one won't suffer much in the band at all, a lot of peace is in store. And increased psychic abilities… at least he won't steal my job from me." Madame Z managed a smile, before reaching back to the deck._

"_The Empress." she finally recalled, laying out the card in front of them; a woman with a slightly swollen belly. "The mother of the deck; she represents new opportunities and a new life. A child, perhaps, will enter your circle soon." Ashley and Jake looked at one another nervously, before thanking Madame Z and leaving._

"_That card at the end… do you think she meant us? Because…" Jake began, but Ashley silenced him with a kiss._

"_It means nothing to us at the moment, and will mean nothing until we're ready. Okay?" She laughed heartily. "Jake, I promise you there will be no children until we're old enough. And besides; we've only just met. Maybe she's wrong…"_

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the party McFly were having the time of their lives; the concert had been a roaring success! Despite their string of bad luck whilst preparing and the angry mob just before Harry showed up, they'd still managed to play to a full house and earned themselves a standing ovation. Katy had been clinging onto Jake and Danny's arms for most of the evening, before their manager excused himself, saying he had to find someone as soon as he could; now Katy was gripping Danny's waist very tightly and was reluctant to let go. 

"Katy, get off!" Danny Jones laughed as he tried to pour himself another glass of champagne. "I'll pour this all over you if you're not careful!"

"Go on then!" she grinned back. Danny managed to down his glass in one gulp, before pouring out some more. "Danny, leave some for everyone else!"

"And I will! Just let me have my share first." he tittered. Katy sulked, before racing off somewhere; probably to find her elder cousin.

"Hey, watch it, because I'm not driving you home tonight." Tom gestured at him from the other side of the room, giving just the smallest of smirks.

Danny giggled again, probably in drunkenness. "Yeah you are Tommy Wommy Fletchy, you haven't hads anything yet." Yes, the dark-haired boy had already gotten drunk on about three or four glasses and Tom would have to drive them all back again, for what felt like the third time that week. Of course, he was in no mood for driving; knowing that he'd probably have to stop the car halfway back to Jake's apartment to be sick had put him off driving for a while. He just hoped that Jake would remain sober enough for them all to get home okay.

"Jake!" Harry yelled over the din. "Where is he! Phillips wants to talk to him about -"

"Leave it Harry, Jakey boy's ran off for that bird at the alley." Danny smirked, staggering over towards them.

"Yeah, he's drunk again." Tom explained. "You had anything to drink or…?"

"Sorry mate, already had two glasses." he replied half-heartedly, trying to smoothen his hair back flat. "Dougie's already wasted too, so you're on your own.

"Wow, you're all so sympathetic." he answered, folding his arms. "I don't even feel like driving."

"Tom, you're the only one… save from me… who has a license. Deal with it." Harry moaned. "Please, just for tonight? I promise I'll have a go next time."

"Fine, your turn next time." he snapped, before standing up and regaining his balance. "God I feel dizzy."

"You sure you've had nothing to drink?" Harry smiled, helping Tom up to his feet. "You're not very convincing, you know. I mean, you're bright red and you're falling over yourself."

"Actually, I haven't even had a glass of anything yet!" Tom argued, pulling himself out of Harry's grasp and making his way over to the toilets. It was just as well he made it in time, because he began vomiting heavily in one of the sinks near the main door. This was something he hadn't anticipated; he'd been feeling fine a few days ago, and it had just been today of all days when he'd started being physically sick. As soon as he'd gotten on the stage, he'd just put it down to nerves but now… he felt worse than ever.

He managed to stand up again, before falling back down to be sick again; this time however, he managed to fall into one of the stalls. Maybe, he thought to him, he had had something to drink without realising it; it was a much more probable explanation, seeing as they'd all gotten carried away at one point or another during the night. At last, he was able to get up without being sick, and he flushed the toilet. From the strange singing coming from outside, Jake had come back and like Danny had said, he'd brought back that girl from the bowling alley.

Tom wished that Jake wouldn't have any glasses, just so they'd get home alright. Unfortunately, as Tom stepped out of the toilets he could see out of the corner of his eye a blur of black and green as Ashley and Jake shared out their drinks between them; a variety of cocktails and vodkas sprawled out for them to share for the rest of the night. He sighed, before asking his friends if they had any idea where Jake's car keys were; it was going to be a long night.

"Hey, are we there yet?" Harry yawned, curled up in the back seat of the car on Jake's shoulder. Tom swore under his breath as he clenched the steering wheel, before yelling that they were still at least an hour away from Jake's apartment. Danny laughed madly at this, whilst trying to put on Ashley's stilettos and still acting tipsy.

"Oh come, speed up! Go as fast as you can!" Danny pestered, but suddenly Tom turned around and glared at him.

"No, we're not going any faster than we are now!" he snapped, before getting his eyes back onto the road. "I'd like us to make it home in one piece thank you very much, or would you like to pile us all into a tree?" Danny opened his mouth to answer back, but Harry clamped it shut with his hands. "Good." Tom sighed, before making a sharp turn right into an alleyway.

"I thought you said we wouldn't be home for…" Jake began, but the blonde had slammed the car door and raced off down the road. He looked at him in confusion as Tom was suddenly sick again on the ground. Everyone grimaced at the noises from outside, and after a few minutes the blonde groggily hopped back into the front seat.

Jake looked at him in concern. "Tom, if you want one of us could drive…"

"No, you're all as drunk as lords." he muttered, sitting down and buckling himself back in. "And besides, it'll probably just be nerves about tonight. I'll be fine by the morning."

"No you won't be." Jake replied, slightly annoyed and he folded his arms in the back seat. Tom fired up the engine and reversed out into the main road, before heading back to Jake's apartment. They stumbled in about half an hour – much quicker than he had guessed – and Jake was carrying Ashley on his back to his room. Dougie and Harry had happily sprawled out on the sofa, singing loudly while Danny was now running around the house in stilettos, trying to find something to dance to.

Tom sighed stubbornly, before hanging up his jacket and making his way up to bed. He knew straight away that he wouldn't get much sleep that night and would have to lie in the next morning, despite the fact that he'd normally be up and about early in the morning. He also knew that Jake was right, and he probably would still feel the same as he did now in the morning; but he wasn't going to prove to anyone that he was wrong and they were right. He decided to let it rest for the time being, and just let himself get some sleep.

"Tom, do you remember the last time we got drunk?" A voice called from the doorway. Tom turned around to find a slightly more sober Danny, but he was still smiling.

"I'd rather not talk about it." he muttered under his breath, pulling his tie off and removing his shirt. "And besides, what happened wasn't our fault."

"Well, from what I recall you seemed to enjoy it." Danny grinned, sitting beside the blonde and looking at him; sadly, he was without his sparkly pink stilettos. "It was the night we found out that Five Colours had got to number six in the charts, remember? We'd both had a few drinks, came back here a little bit tipsy, had some coffee to sober up and then…"

"And I think I remember that last part very well, thanks." Tom was agitated and just wanted some peace. "Can't you leave me alone? I'm too tired tonight Danny."

"Come on – just a few minutes?" he pleaded, looking at the older boy.

Tom shook his head, before throwing the pillow over his ears. "Night Danny." he voiced loudly enough so Danny could hear him through the large cushion over his head.

"Good night Tom – get better soon." he whispered, before turning off the light and leaving him in peace. Tom pulled his waste paper basket over to his bedside in case he felt sick during the night, and tried in vain to get some sleep. But as the moonlight faded away and dawn was approaching, he still lay awake in bed with slight apprehension; something was wrong with him, most definitely.


	2. Morning After Feelings

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing of this story – nothing! (Except the plot, but come on – no-one wants this old thing!) Just My Luck is just a film, Ashley and Jake are fictional and McFly belong to themselves. This story is COMPLETELY fictional!**

He woke up the next morning, still unsure of how long he'd even slept for. The bin beside his bed had definitely been vomited in, and Tom's nose crinkled up as he tried to clean it up in the bathroom. Of course, Jake had been right again and he felt exactly the same… no, even worse than before, and Tom had been too proud to take any notice. He slowly made his way back downstairs to find Harry and Dougie asleep together on the sofa, arms wrapped tightly around one another.

"Tom, you look more wasted than I do." Jake commented. Tom spun around to find him making breakfast in the kitchen. "Are you sure you didn't have anything to drink?"

"No, I'm just… distracted." he replied, but his world felt like a blur. "Jake, I… I think you're right. I've come down with something."

"Oh boy, not now!" he moaned, much to Tom's surprise. "You're meant to be going home tomorrow, you can't stay here any longer!"

"It's not that Jake… I just need a check-up. It'll probably just be stomach flu or something, and I know it'll clear up." Tom persuaded, although it felt more like a lie. "Look, could you just keep us here for one more week?"

"One more week?" Jake asked. "Tom, Ashley's moving in today, and I really don't want her having to live with you – no offence."

"None taken." Danny walked through, still staggering and he put the kettle on.

Tom leant over the sink and tried to stop shaking, but found himself coughing repeatedly. "Danny, I was just asking Jake if you could… s-stay here for another week," he explained. "I don't think I'm well enough to g-get the plane tomorrow."

"Is it just stomach flu? If it is then I'm sure…" Danny began, but once again Tom found himself hissing at the brunette angrily.

"If it was just stomach flu I wouldn't be in crippling pain, you idiot." he replied through gritted teeth and he bent over further. "Fuck, this hurts."

"Okay, maybe you won't be fine for the plane." Danny raced to help Tom back up, before realizing he'd been sick in the sink again. "Dude – gross."

"Thanks for the support." he groaned back, trying to stand up and was soon back to normal. "This isn't just stomach flu Danny…"

"You think?"

"It's something else…" Tom replied, sucking in air through his teeth and wrapping his arms around his mid-section. "I'm staying here for another week and see how things go. You guys can get the plane as planned and I'll call you if anything happens."

"No way man, we're not leaving you here!" Dougie yelled through as he rubbed at his eyes. "And besides, my mum called – she wants to have some of your cooking again and she won't like it if I came home alone."

Jake looked between Tom and Dougie in surprise. "I didn't know you could cook." he taunted, grinning like a loon. "Shame you didn't unleash your talents on the world."

"Shut up." Tom couldn't fail to smile, and he brushed his hair back. "So, we can stay for another week?"

"Another week; but anymore than that and you're in trouble." Jake warned. "Tom, stay here until you get better, but those three better be on a plane within a week!"

"Fine, of course we'll be on the bloody plane!" Harry promised, trying to remove himself from the tangle of his and Dougie's legs. "Just make sure Tom gets to come home as well."

"And I will come home!" he laughed, ruffling his hair up a little. "Just give me time."

* * *

They gave him time, but as the week drove on Tom seemed to get worse and worse. It even got to the extent of him having to stay in his room all day, and hadn't managed to get better by the time that the rest of the band had to pack up and go home. On the big day, they'd all piled into Tom's room for a goodbye party with more alcohol and a guitar jamming session. Tom didn't understand how they could all drink so much in a short space of time, but he was well enough to sit up and play guitar with them at the end. Soon, everyone was getting ready to take Harry, Dougie and Danny back down to the airport.

"Tom, are you sure you'll be fine coming along?" Jake asked once again, grabbing the band's guitar cases and getting them sorted to put in the trunk of the car.

"I have to – can't just leave you lot at the airport, can I?" he replied, not really feeling that bothered. He managed to pull himself out of bed and grab his friends' things, before heading back downstairs. "Harry, please call me when you get back, alright? And make sure those two -" Here, he gestured at Danny and Dougie. "Make sure they don't cause trouble."

"Have we ever caused trouble before?" Dougie smirked, trying his best to look innocent and failing miserably.

"Don't answer that one." Tom groaned, before bending over again in pain. Everyone waited until he could get up again, and he managed to get back on his feet. "Jake, have you actually got me an appointment yet?"

"There's one sorted at the hospital for tomorrow morning, and it'll all work out, I promise." Jake crossed his fingers for good luck, and Ashley sighed theatrically. It was one of his habits that got on everyone's nerves, and it had even affected her despite the fact she'd only stayed for a week. He ushered everyone towards the front door, but for some reason Danny stayed behind.

"Staying to rub it in any further?" Tom frowned, rubbing at his face.

Danny shook his head. "Actually, I came to make sure you'd be alright to actually get in the car at all." He sat on the bed again, and grinned again.

"You know… it could be your fault, you know." Tom suddenly blurted out what he'd been thinking for the last day or so. Danny froze and looked at Tom.

"You mean it?"

"I don't know, but it could be you!" he tried to explain. "I mean, maybe you passed something on to me… you had something didn't you?" Tom backed away slowly from the brunette, who shrugged.

"Not that I was aware of, no. Promise to ring me as soon as you know what's up."

Tom nodded, not really listening. "Yeah yeah, whatever." He smiled, before suddenly hugging Danny tightly. "I'll miss you, you buffoon."

"Aren't you so generous?" Danny laughed, trying to break loose. "Can I get home now?"

"So long as you come back for me." he replied, before cursing himself for saying it. Why was he being so affectionate with just his best friend?

"Of course I'll come back for you. I mean, you're the talent here Fletcher." Danny picked up his bag, and showed Tom to the back seat of the car. Maggie and Dana were squashed beside Ashley, whilst Jake was in the driving seat waiting for the pair of them to get inside. "Just remember Tom; I'm a phone call away if you need me."

"I know." Tom shuddered. "Hey, hang on… what do you think's wrong with me?"

"Haven't got the foggiest." he replied honestly. "Well… come on, or we'll miss this bloody plane!" Danny laughed, before helping Tom into the car and they sped off towards the airport.

* * *

"Blood tests?" Tom asked in alarm, looking up at the doctor stood in front of him. He nodded calmly.

"There doesn't appear to be anything wrong, but we're not confident with that result." he explained, looking back down at his clipboard. "All that seems to be out of place is high hormone levels, which normally shouldn't cause symptoms like these. A blood test would probably be best." The blonde fell back onto the examination bed in disgust; they'd already probed him enough as it was with the tests they'd done today, without asking for a blood sample as well.

"How long will it be until you can find out what's wrong?" he asked, biting his nails.

"At the most, a week. The least… end of the day." The doctor watched Tom's face as it darted from expressions of panic to nausea to worry. "We'll contact you as soon as we can, and if there's something of concern we can get you back here."

"Um, sorry for interrupting…" Jake began, stepping towards the younger boy. "But he might not be able to come back because he's meant to be going home soon. To England."

"Oh, you're British?" he asked.

Tom shrugged. "Is it important? I just want to know what's wrong!" Folding his arms stubbornly, he waited for a response.

"Sorry, he's just kind of… moody, at the moment." Jake explained, trying to calm Tom down. "Any advice on what we can do till then?"

"Crackers are usually quite good to stop the nausea, but apart from that it just seems like business as normal." the doctor recommended, rechecking the results. "I'll get back to you as soon as you can; until then, just try and get some rest." Tom nodded, before letting himself slide of the bed numbly and getting a slip of paper to prove he'd been thoroughly examined.

"Jake, you do think everything's going to work out, right?" he asked as they left the hospital. Jake shrugged his shoulders.

"I hope they do – for you, I mean, not for me… I mean…" he stumbled over his words. "Well, yeah – you'll be fine."

"Hey guys!" Maggie called out to them from the car, waving them over without getting them ran over by passing traffic. "How did it go?"

"They're doing more tests." Tom replied miserably. "I don't think they want to tell me in case it's bad." Maggie looked at him.

"Bad as in…?"

"Maybe fatal?" Tom asked, and his mind spun at the possibilities. "What if I'm dying?"

"Tom Fletcher, you are not dying…" Jake tried to tell him, and Maggie heartily agreed.

But it would not put Tom's mind at rest. "What if it's cancer? What if it's some sort of disease? What if -"

"Just, for once, think about what if it's just a bug!" Maggie yelled at him, and Tom paused. "Tom, for God's sake, just… hang in there, until we get something back from the doctors."

"Okay, I'll try." Tom prevailed. "But I know something's not right. Something bad…" At this, Jake looked down at his sneakers and coughed nervously. "What is, Jake?"

"Nothing, it's just… something Madame Z said…"

"That cranky old fortune-teller Ashley knew?" Maggie queried, adjusting her view in the mirror and checked her hair for kinks. "You got a reading?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter." Jake frowned. Tom looked over.

"You sure it's nothing?"

Jake nodded, but didn't say much. Maybe this was what Madame Z was talking about…

"…_she represents new opportunities and a new life…"_

"A new life…" Jake muttered, before looking out the window. They were approaching his block of apartments, and judging by the look on Tom's face they might have been able to make it just in time. Maggie looked at her ill passenger too, before reaching out under her seat and pulling out a waste bag. Tom took it, smiled nervously, before throwing up inside it, with Jake holding his floppy fringe back to stop it being ruined.


	3. Left Reeling

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing of this story – nothing! (Except the plot, but come on – no-one wants this old thing!) Just My Luck is just a film, Ashley and Jake are fictional and McFly belong to themselves. This story is COMPLETELY fictional!**

Tom wrapped the telephone cord around his finger as he laid in bed, listening to Danny go on about how Dougie's lizards had just had more babies and they were desperately trying to sell them to whoever could provide for them. In return, he explained what had happened at the hospital the day before, and how he was now desperately waiting for the results.

"You poor little thing!" Danny moaned in sympathy, and Tom could imagine his grin at the other end of the line. "Are you still staying with Jake?"

"What would ever make you think I wasn't?" he giggled slowly, turning over. "Yes, of course I'm still staying here – you're still calling his number."

"…I am?" Danny asked quite stupidly. "Oh yeah, I forgot! Kind of wondering about that, but never mind…"

"…I'm scared." he suddenly confessed. "I mean, what if it's something bad?"

He could almost see Danny's face cloud over with apprehension, but still smiling. "I don't think it's going to be too bad."

"Danny, it stopped me from getting on the plane with you. What else can it do to me?" he asked, getting himself worked up again.

"…Tom, I'm going to hang up now, okay?" Danny replied after a few seconds. "I'll try and ring tomorrow."

"Don't leave me." he whimpered, horrified at how pathetic he sounded. "Please don't leave me alone Danny."

"I'm sorry, I have to go! I'll chat to you later." And with that, Danny hung up, almost coldly. Tom pouted and after what felt like an eternity, put down the receiver. He lay back and watched the ceiling with disinterest. Okay, so he had more than just a healthy interest in his best friend; the same best friend's he'd had casual drunken sex with two months earlier. From what Tom could gather, the feelings were mutual, since Danny seemed to share the interest – but maybe it was just a misjudgment. Danny had always been friendly to everyone he met – friendly up to a point of being awkward, and he knew that he could get very close to people and still call them 'just mates'.

Whatever the situation was, he was sure he could deal with it later. Getting better was the first thing on his to-do list; interpreting emotions could wait for a few more weeks. Maggie brought him up some hot tea and crackers, and he sat up to have them. "Hey Maggie, I was wondering… could you give me some advice?"

"Depends upon what the advice you need is." she smiled. "Talk to me."

"You know… if you like someone, and I don't mean just as friends." he started, tucking his legs in under his arms. "I mean, you've known each other for a while, and you know each other inside out, but you've never taken it further -"

"Okay, I get the message – just friends!" she laughed. "Go on Tom."

"… right, where was I? Oh yeah, we're good mates and I… I think I've got a crush on… them." he continued, careful enough to add a simple 'them' at the end. "So, say if you were in the same boat as me, and you got a crush on someone you've known for ages… how would you think about coping with it?"

"Woah, you think too much." Maggie sighed, pointing a finger at him as she stirred the tea with her spare hand. "Okay, give yourself a checklist – one; how long have you known each other?"

"Three years." he sighed, flopping back onto the bed. "Three years, five months, twenty-seven days, three hours and twelve minutes. British Time, of course."

Maggie's mouth dropped open. "Okay… that's weird… anyway, onto to point two; how long have you felt the way you do?"

"Two-and-a-half months. So?"

"Number three; have you imagined yourself with them – holding them, feeling them… loving them?" Tom paused and thought to himself; the idea of him and Danny together seemed appealing, if not perfect. He nodded slowly, after becoming wrapped in his own blissful delusion of them.

"Well then, it's pretty obvious that you love them." Maggie smiled. "I think you should go for it."

"Really?" Tom sat up again, barely able to be comfortable form more than a minute. "But what if h- I mean, they – don't like me back?"

"Tom, 'they' like you enough as it is, so technically you wouldn't ruin anything. Just… go for it and see what happens."

Tom was just about to thank her when the telephone rang. He reached out towards it, hoping it would be Danny, but Maggie shoved him out of the way and grabbed the receiver before him.

"Oh, hello there… no, Tom's busy at the moment… oh, I see!" she replied to the voice on the other end, and she covered the receiver with her hand.

"Who is it?"

"It's the doctor, from the hospital – they've got your tests results back." she explained quickly, and went back to listening. "Yeah, we were there a few days ago… not that I know of, but… you're kidding me." Her face froze over and Tom strained to hear the doctor. "No, you're lying…. how? I mean, he… he… he's a GUY!"

"Maggie, give me the phone!" he yelled, trying to wrestle the phone out of her grip. "That's my business Maggie!"

"You're not ready for it!" she yelled back, and the pair of them suddenly began to fight for the hand set across the bed.

Tom managed to grab it after a few moments and tried to speak with the doctor on the other end. "Yes, this is Tom… yeah, I had an appointment, but you couldn't find anything?" he replied, walking around the room trying to avoid Maggie's grasp.

"Yes, this is one of the doctors from the hospital." This time, it was a different doctor to the one he had seen. "I think you should be sitting down sir."

"Am I dying?" he asked again, and Maggie sighed, before pushing him down onto the bed. She cursed herself straight afterwards, and sat down next to Tom.

"No sir, you're not dying. Nothing like that at all."

"Then why do I need to sit down?" he replied stubbornly. The doctor cleared his throat and hesitated; Tom got back to biting his nails.

"Well, I'm afraid there's some… pretty alarming results coming up, you might need a seat." Tom repeated that he'd been forced to sit, before asking what was wrong. "Well… I'm not sure how to break this to you… but you're pregnant. Congratulations."

* * *

"What?!" Tom tried to stand up in shock at what the doctor had just told him. "Stop lying to me and just say what the hell's wrong with me!" Maggie held him back by his torso and his wrists, and held him tightly to the bed. 

"Calm down!" she yelled back, still in shock herself.

"Mr Fletcher, please just calm down and listen to what I have to say." the doctor reassured. Tom struggled to stand, but he sat back down slowly. "Firstly, I know you're concerned and think we're lying – we're not. If you'd like proof, we can arrange a scan tomorrow morning and you can see for yourself." the doctor began.

"No thanks." he replied numbly, almost drifting from the conversation. "But how…?"

"We're not sure yet, but there's a way we can figure out and prevent it in the future."

"Okay, what is it?"

"An abortion can tell us exactly how it happened, and we can give you some limited advice on how to stop it from happening again."

Tom bit his lip. "How would you do it?" he asked slowly, going paler by the second.

"I'm not sure if tablets would work, but it will be done as simply as possible, and in your own time. But there is a deadline." he warned. "It's five weeks away; there's still time for you to think about it."

"When can I get it done?"

"Two weeks today at the least." Tom sighed and looked at Maggie, who squeezed his hand. "Would you like an appointment making?"

"Yeah… but if I change my mind can I at least get a check up then anyway?" Tom questioned, trying to keep whatever he'd just eaten down. The doctor explained that the boy had to; they could see what effects to look out for in the future. "Right… I see. Thanks very much… bye…" He hung up after a few seconds, and stared at the phone emotionless.

Maggie held the cup of tea in her hands. "Are you alright?"

"Of course not, you daft cow." he grunted. "I've just been told I'm fucking pregnant, for fuck's sake." Now those were words he'd never imagine himself saying in his life; he just let a single tear slide down his cheek as he looked as his friend. "What's Jake going to say? And Damon Phillips… they're going to murder me."

"Look, just try and calm down, okay? Jake and Phillips don't need to know." she cooed, brushing his hair back for him. "They need never know about this – our secret."

"I don't want this secret." he sighed, and found himself leaning into Maggie's chest. "It can't be real."

"I know, I know…" She was rocking him in her arms now, comforting him as best as she could. "Do you know… who the 'father' is?" she asked, trying to make it sound casual.

"…no." Tom lied, shaking his head. "Don't remember… it was a while back…" He suddenly looked coldly at her. "Maggie, I want to be left alone."

"Tom…"

"I just want to be left alone, alright?" he snapped again, before blushing. "Sorry… I guess I'm kind of…"

"Emotional, I guessed." she smiled, before heading back to the door. "Just remember we're in this together; if you want to talk then talk."

Tom smiled, but knew he was just going through the motions. "Yeah, I know." And with that, Maggie saw herself out of the door onto the hallway. His eyes followed her until the door slammed shut, before letting more tears slip down his face. Now he knew why he'd had feelings for Danny; Tom was pregnant with his baby.


	4. Change My Mind, Why Don't You?

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing of this story – nothing! (Except the plot, but come on – no-one wants this old thing!) Just My Luck is just a film, Ashley and Jake are fictional and McFly belong to themselves. This story is COMPLETELY fictional!**

Days passed, and Tom had surprisingly kept his little 'secret' well-hidden from Jake and the other girls. Of course, he hadn't told them or the rest of the band what was wrong and neither had Maggie; instead, they'd been talking and thinking a lot, mostly about what they were going to do. She'd even been kind enough to borrow a few leaflets from the local doctor's office, and Tom had read through a few of them.

"Shame I can't exactly rely on them." he had sighed, throwing yet another pamphlet behind him. "Why didn't you get any on abortion?" Maggie furrowed her brow at the last word – not one she agreed with.

"Maybe you should start thinking about keeping the baby, rather than killing it."

"I can't keep it!" he answered, looking at her in shock. "Look at me – I'm still really young, and I could never look after a baby Maggie. I can't…"

"Oh come on, how do you think all those teenage mothers back in England cope? What about the women who don't know they're pregnant until they give birth in their own homes?" she angrily responded, throwing insults at him.

Tom looked at her and shook his head. "Not the same thing!" he yelled back. "They don't have the whole world scorning them because they managed to get knocked up the duff!"

"Knocked up the duff?"

"British slang, sorry." he blushed, sitting back down and playing with the cuff of his shirt. "So, what exactly do they do to me?"

"They'd suck the baby…. or foetus, that's what they call it… out of you using an electric pump." she winced. "I hate to imagine where they'd shove it inside of you…"

"Maggie, please don't." Tom sulked. "I know you don't think it's right, but don't scare me just so I'll keep it."

Despite the undertones of the conversation, Maggie still found enough courage to laugh. "I'm not trying to scare you – this is what happens in the real world. Stop living in a metaphorical bubble."

"Shut up." he groaned. "The sooner it's out, the better." Maggie opened her mouth to say something, but the door to the room suddenly burst open.

"Hey, you two okay? You seem to be making a lot of noise." Katie asked as her head poked around the door. Maggie and Tom, who had been standing close to each other, took a step apart and looked at her.

"No, you must be hearing things." Maggie laughed, tucking her hair behind one ear. "We're fine, honestly."

"I heard some strange noises downstairs… are you two going out?"

Tom pulled a face of disgust. "No!" he yelled, taking another step back. "Me and M-Maggie?! No way!"

"I bet you are!" the younger girl grinned, sticking out her tongue. "Maggie and Tom, sitting in a tree, K – I – S – S – I – N – G!" Maggie threw a pillow at her whilst laughing herself, before racing over to put a hand over her mouth; she was singing a rhyme Danny had taught her, and she knew Tom would get upset if Katy managed to get out the last bit…

"First comes love, then comes marriage – then comes a baby in a golden carriage!" She was too late; his cheeks had already gone a deep shade of red and he looked down. "It's because I'm right, aren't I? You two love each other!"

"Um, Katy?" Maggie asked politely, turning her and Katy's backs to Tom. "Why don't you go ask Jake if he needs a hand with anything?"

"He's out." she replied.

"Ashley?"

"She's gone with him." Katy frowned. "You don't want me here!"

Maggie nodded as she led the girl out of the room and into the hallway. "It's just that… Tom wants to be left alone, and it's best that we let him be."

"Oh, okay." she smiled back. "Do you want to play with me?"

"Tell you what; I'll teach you how to put real make-up on." Maggie grinned, opening the door to her own room. "Just stay in there for a few minutes, and I'll get everything sorted." Katy grinned before skipping off into the room, and instantly went through Maggie's drawers. The blonde, older girl turned back to the boy behind her.

"See? This is exactly what I mean!" he yelled, folding his arms. "I'm going to get made of fun, exactly the same way as she did, but a lot worse than that Maggie, if I keep this… this…" Tom hesitated, not wanting to say the next word.

"Baby." she finished for him, glaring angrily. "Look, Katy doesn't know about this -"

"And hopefully she'll never know." he replied lazily, before throwing up in the bin again. Maggie grimaced, and turned away to at least give him some dignity, before going into her own room.

"MAGGIE!" Katy suddenly yelled, running out straight into Maggie's arms. "Maggie, it got stuck! I didn't mean to, but it got stuck and I can't get it off…" She turned her face this way and that, to show a large tube of lipstick stuck onto her cheek.

"Oh shit!" she muttered under her breath. "It must have been my hair gel; I didn't know what it was doing there… have you tried the usual stuff?"

"I told you, it won't come off!" she sulked, trying her best to pull it off. "Damn!" Tom looked over from where he was standing, and a thought struck him. He checked through some of the beside drawers, sure that Jake had got him something perfect for the moment; when they first started touring in America, Jake had insisted that they would all have little bags of emergency items, in case anything bad happened. Strangely enough, nothing had happened to them since they'd bought the kits, and they'd been stuffed inside their drawers, emptied; the bags they came in were used as a very good set of hair bands for their sisters.

He finally found what he was looking for; cotton pads, a little gel remover and some antiseptic cream, and he padded over towards the girls. "Out of the way!" he yelled. "Dude with the stuff coming through, give me some space!" Maggie smirked and raised an eyebrow at Katy, who sniggered too. "Katy, is this the right stuff Jake would have used before?" he asked as he showed her the bottle.

"I think so… similar stuff anyway." she nodded. Tom held her face in place, before pouring some of the liquid onto a pad. "How strong is it?"

"Looks pretty severe…" he noted, checking over the bottle again whilst trying to balance the antiseptic at the same time. "That's why I got the cream, it should cool it down a little afterwards."

"You sure?"

"I'm po… sure." he replied slowly, before patting some onto her cheek; she squealed as it went on and struggled to get loose. "Keep still, I promise it'll stop soon..." Tom dabbed some more liquid on, and began to ease the lipstick off her cheek. "Hang on a sec… and ta-da, all off!" he grinned as he peeled the lipstick from her cheek, and handed it to Maggie. He then added some antiseptic onto another pad and rubbed it in slowly.

"Thanks Tom." she smiled, turning slightly pink.

"No problem – just keep rubbing that in until the stinging stops, alright?" he replied, his hand on her shoulder. "Now, go play with the non-stick lipsticks." Katy giggled, before running off again. Maggie paused, and took in what she had just seen acted out in front of her.

"You'd make a great dad, Tom." It was all she had to say; but Tom didn't turn around to caution or insult her back. He just stood there, looking at the floor in silence.

"No I wouldn't." he replied minutes later, turning to her with subdued anger. "You're just saying it."

"Fine; you think I'm making things up. Go on, do whatever the hell you want with this Tom – it's not my body, not my choice. It's not my baby I'm killing." Maggie huffed, before storming out of the hallway, down the stairs and out of the door. Tom froze, before racing to the window; her car was pulling out of the drive, onto the street, and sped off into the distance towards the shopping mall downtown.

* * *

Maggie came home three hours later, with a small mound of shopping bags hanging from her thin, colourful arms. Jake and Ashley, who had come home earlier, helped her carry them through, sort them out and store everything she'd bought into various piles and cupboards. Tom, on the other hand, had spent most of the afternoon making further acquaintance with the porcelain toiler basin and eating dry crackers.

"Tom, phone call!" Jake yelled from downstairs. "It's from Danny."

"Danny?!" Tom yelled back from his room. He'd been waiting for this call for days now; he could tell Danny that everything was going to be okay, he wasn't dying, and he was just…

Maybe he couldn't speak to him after all. "Um… how long has he got on the phone?"

"At least an hour, maybe two?" was the reply. Okay, so Tom couldn't hold on and just wait until he had gone; he'd have to talk to him.

"Okay… tell him I'll be down in a sec…" he stalled, getting up from the bed and plodding down to Jake and the receiver. Snatching it in his hand, he held it to one ear and messed with his hair. "Hello?"

"Thank god, you're alive!" Danny's voice was a relief to hear after so long. "You've been avoiding me for nearly two weeks now – you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah… never better." Tom lied, squeezing his fist. "I haven't been avoiding you."

"I've phoned three times in the last week, but Maggie said you were busy! What's going on?" he asked.

Tom looked at his nails, unsure of what to say. "Well… I got the results back from the hospital… a-and they're pretty bad. I have to stay here, in America, a little longer to get better."

"Oh my god…" Danny breathed down the line, seeming to be picking the right words to say. "How long…?"

"A few weeks, give or take. Up to two months, they told me." he replied, without realising that everyone in the room could hear his lie; Maggie looked at him in disgust. "Don't worry, I'll get on the plane as soon as I can and I'll be straight back home before you know it."

"You better be." Danny replied sternly. "I miss you so much…"

"I miss you too…" Tom smiled faintly, and had to restrain himself from caressing his stomach. "Anyway, I have to, er, go… have to pick something up…"

"Oh really?" Danny asked sadly, with what he could only imagine was a small pout and large eyes. "Well, I'll call tomorrow and every day after that till you come home, okay?"

"Okay… see you later." he replied, before hanging up.

Maggie glared at him, before throwing her last bag on the floor. "You're a liar, a really bad liar Tom!"

"I don't know what you mean." he retorted haughtily, twirling his hair again around one finger lazily. "It's what the doctor told me after all."

"No it's not." She folded her arms and told Jake and Ashley to stand between them. "Now Tom… why did you tell Danny you were just poorly with something that'll get cured in a matter of weeks, when it's really something more serious?"

"He doesn't want to worry him." Ashley spoke up. "At least, I couldn't tell you the truth if I were in the same situation. Maggie, let it rest!"

"I can't!" she yelled as Tom tried to sneak off to his room. "He's told me the truth and I don't think I can keep it a secret."

"Well, it depends on what it is." Jake replied, sitting down on a chair. "Just tell us."

"Maggie, NO!" Tom yelled, turning around, but the words came out of her mouth faster than he could ever stop her.

"Tom is pregnant, with a real living baby, and he wants to kill it!"


	5. Unexpected

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing of this story – nothing! (Except the plot, but come on – no-one wants this old thing!) Just My Luck is just a film, Ashley and Jake are fictional and McFly belong to themselves. This story is COMPLETELY fictional!**

"Tom is pregnant, with a real living baby, and he wants to kill it!"

The whole room fell into silence. Jake, who had sipping at his coffee, spat it out in shock whilst Ashley had to grab the table to stop herself falling over.

"You're what?" Jake started, looking at Tom. He tried to back away, but Maggie darted to the door and bolted it shut. "Tom, explain what the fuck is going on!"

"It's complicated!" he responded, flailing his arms around the air. "I don't even know where to begin…"

"So, you're actually pregnant, with a real baby?" Ashley began, stuttering over her words. "And you don't know how?"

"As soon as the abortion takes place, they can tell me." Tom replied emotionlessly. "Why does everyone think this is a big deal?"

"It's a big deal, because normally abortions are performed on women as opposed to men!" Jake yelled. "What's Phillips going to say about this?!"

Tom pointed at Maggie angrily, raising his voice even louder and higher. "Oh, I told you this wouldn't work! The first thing I said was 'What will Damon say? What will Jake say?' I can't do this Maggie, I told you!"

"Woah, Tom – calm down!" she yelled back. "Just calm down!"

"No, because you've… said things, and done things…" Tom's eyes grew wider and he took a step back. "Stop making me doubt what I'm going to do, because this is MY decision."

"Tom?" Ashley stood in front of him and shook his shoulders. "Tom, you're hyperventilating, you need to calm down…"

"Let go of me." he whispered. "Just let go!" She let go of him and he glared at them both. "Next week, I'm going down to the hospital, I'm having that abortion, and I'll be on the next flight home."

"Oh no you don't." Jake growled. "You're staying here."

"What about the rest of McFly? I can't live here for the rest of my life, with a… baby, to look after. I couldn't survive here all alone…"

"But you wouldn't be alone; you'd have us – me, Dana, Jake and Maggie." Ashley reassured, leading Tom to a seat in the living room. "At least give it some thought Tom, that's all we're asking."

"I have given it thought, and I can't…" he sighed, laying back a little to try and calm down. "I want… I want…"

"Tom, just go and get some sleep, okay?" Maggie asked him. "Me, Jake and Ashley will have a little chat and give you advice once you're awake." Tom nodded, and propped a cushion up under his head to get some proper comfort. "Are you going to tell Danny?"

"No." he replied too quickly, almost cursing himself afterwards. "No, I don't want to tell him."

"It's his, isn't it?" Jake suddenly asked and both girls looked at him reeling. "That's why you told him a lie; it's his baby, right?"

Tom looked at him in wonder. "H…How did you know…?" he stammered out, wrapping his arms around his abdomen.

"Let's just say that celebration for your first single wasn't just a two-man affair – we all knew what you were up to." Jake laughed. "But I still think you should tell him."

"I can't…" he sighed. Maggie's mouth opened as she suddenly realised something else. "Maggie, not now – kinda busy."

"Sorry…" she blushed and apologised. "Um… we should just leave you be, shouldn't we?"

"I guess so…" Tom curled up in a ball on the sofa, and began to calm down again. "Jake, Maggie? Can you two… c-come down with me on the day?"

"Oh, that day…" Jake's eyes widened in realisation and he nodded tentatively. "Yeah, I'm sure we can come and give you the support."

"Thanks…" he smiled, before closing his eyes and lulling into deep sleep. Jake pulled up a blanket to cover him over, and he looked peaceful for the first time in weeks as he lay back and fell into silence.

"It's not right." Maggie leaned back against the counter in the kitchen and shook her head. "I can't let him do it."

Jake sighed. "It's not your decision Mags."

"And you're not helping matters by helping him!" she yelled. They were now arguing, over the sleeping blonde in the next room and what he should have done with himself, and Maggie had not changed her view one little bit.

"Look Maggie, think about what he's going through. Have you ever heard of a guy getting pregnant before? What if the kid doesn't even grow properly?" Jake asked; her ears pricked up slightly. "You can't put someone through all of that just to say to them, 'Oh, you know everything you went through for the baby? Well, it was dead from the start, so there's no point in the last so many months.' Could you tell someone that?" Maggie froze, and looked down.

"Jake has a point." Ashley continued. "You can't put him through something like this."

"Oh, stop acting like he's my boyfriend." she snarled, turning away. "I still think it's wrong." Jake shook his head in temper.

"I give up Maggie – you're asking me to do the impossible, and tell Tom to go along with this."

"What about Danny?" That question was one that startled him. He turned to her and stared incredulously. "Doesn't he deserve a say in this? You even said so yourself Jake."

"There's no point getting their hopes up." he stated, pouring out another cup of tea and set out a plate of crackers for Tom.

"Okay, I'll give you that." she relented. "It's for the best." Jake grinned, before taking everything through for Tom and getting him up to at least drink and eat. Maggie made sure Ashley was preoccupied with her mirror and hair, before darting out into the hallway. Her mobile poised in her hand, she decided to go through Jake's phonebook until she found the one number she needed. Dialling quickly, she held the phone to one ear whilst making her way upstairs.

"Hey, is that Danny? … yeah, it's Maggie – I need you here, right away… It's about Tom…"

* * *

It became another queasy set of nights and mornings for Tom and the rest of the household, but soon the morning came of 'the day'; the day when the abortion could finally take place. Maggie had offered no support since the huge fight between the four of them, but Jake and Ashley were practically sitting on the picket fence between the two of them – Tom just seemed relieved for the hell to be over. They drove down to the hospital in silence on the morning, and waited in silence too. Maggie said she'd needed to arrange something back at home, so she didn't come with them; it was just the three of them, sitting in a sterile room waiting to see the doctor.

"You alright?" Ashley asked for the third time that hour. Tom nodded weakly, still rosy red but at least he wasn't shaking anymore. Jake bought him and Ashley a soda each, and they were tentatively sipping them; the blonde wasn't allowed to eat or drink before it all took place. The doctor finally called them through, and the three were lead into the white room ahead of them.

"Lay back on the bed, while we just give a simple check-up to see how we're going to do this." the doctor told him in a thick American drawl. Tom hesitantly let himself relax on the examination bed, feeling his body tense up in apprehension. "Now, how have you been coping with the nausea?"

"Trying my best…" he muttered as he checked his blood pressure. "Can't you get it over and done with as soon as possible, rather than just delaying it?"

"I'm sorry, but this is routine sir. I need to make sure you're fit enough for this to go ahead." he replied, before wheeling over another machine. "This one's to make sure we can carry it out as safely as possible."

"Right…" Tom replied, before looking away as some sort of gel went straight onto his skin. "Fuck that's cold!"

Jake couldn't help but raise a laugh. "What a way to do it Fletcher."

"Shut up, it's freezing!" he yelled back, trying to keep as calm as possible. "Make it warm up!" His reflexes forced him to sit up abruptly, and he shivered subconsciously.

"It'll warm up eventually." It was all the doctor could say, and Jake felt it only necessary to come over for amicable support. Tom squirmed uncomfortably as the gel slowly began to warm up and the doctor took out a small scanner. "If you're not happy I suggest you look away now."

"What do you…?" Tom began, but froze as the doctor placed the scanner on Tom's stomach, and the image came up on the small monitor. Jake tried to turn Tom's face towards him, but nothing could break his line of vision; past his manager, past the doctor and onto the tiny screen, where a slight blob of whiteness stood out in stark contrast with the rest of the dull background. "Oh my god… is that…?"

"It's the baby…" Jake watched as well in astonishment as the tiny dot seemed to curl up in itself to appear even smaller than it already was. "Oh look, it's curling up…"

"Because it's afraid. It's afraid of me." Tom replied, almost going green.

The doctor shook his head. "I told you not to look, sir. It's going to be a lot harder now…"

"I think… I made my decision too rashly." he finished, looking back up. "I'd like a little more time to think about it, if I still can."

"I can allow you three more weeks at the maximum; after that there's no return." the doctor permitted, looking confusedly at the boy. "However, we still need tests running after the twelfth week, to see how this happened… either way, would you still be fine to co-operate in those?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…" he replied hazily, trying to sit up before another wave of nausea hit him. "Excuse me a second…" Suddenly, he raced off towards the bathroom, a little too late for the nausea to wear off.

"Another day, another bout of it." Jake muttered

"That's brilliant news!" Maggie yelled a few minutes later; Jake had phoned her about the outcome of their hospital visit. "I knew he'd see sense in the end."

"Maggie, he hasn't changed his mind, he's traumatised by what he saw." he replied hastily, making sure Tom couldn't hear him as they drove back home. "Maybe he'll still have it…"

"Not if he's smart enough." she added vaguely. Suddenly, there was a loud noise from behind and a voice, a male one, swearing his head off.

"Who've you got over?" Jake laughed. Maggie tutted impatiently.

"Just a friend, nothing more!" she laughed. "A very close friend."

Suddenly, Jake looked over his shoulder. "Oh, hang on… Tom's here. Do you want to talk?" he yelled over to the blonde behind him, who nodded gingerly as he fingered the receiver.

"Hey Maggie…" he smiled wearily. "I'm sorry, about what I've done these last few days."

"Forgiven and forgotten." she promised, placing a hand over her heart. "Oh, and as well – I've got a surprise for you at home."

"You have?"

"Yeah – I got it for you in case you feeling low after what… was supposed to happen," she replied ruefully. "But it's just a little something for you. It'll be in the hallway the second you get inside."

"That's really sweet of you." he smiled, opening the car window for a moment to let some air in. "We're almost home anyway, so I shall see you soon!"

"Of course Tom." she replied with a strange tone in her voice, before hanging up.

Tom grinned at Ashley and Jake. "She says she got something for me – a surprise. I don't even know why I'm so damn excited for it." He tossed his head back and let himself cool down. "God… I hate this so much."

"Yeah right, I bet you're lapping up the attention." Jake grinned, smirking happily. "You old softie."

"I'm not soft! I'm just… relived that for once, I seem to be coping." he sighed as the car pulled into the driveway. "Well, come on! Let's just get inside." He ran out the car, towards the front door and fumbled for his keys. He put them in the lock, turned and flung the door open –

The sight made him stare; someone was there that shouldn't have been there. He was greeted with a tight hug, nearly lifting him up off the floor and he was vaguely aware of them spinning him around quickly.

"You're alive! Maggie said you were going to be a state once you got home, but you're alright…" Danny whispered into his ear as he swung him round. "I've come back for you Tom, until you get better."


	6. Showing

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing of this story – nothing! (Except the plot, but come on – no-one wants this old thing!) Just My Luck is just a film, Ashley and Jake are fictional and McFly belong to themselves. This story is COMPLETELY fictional!**

Tom hadn't said a word in over a day – something which was out of character for the talkative young man. Danny believed that Tom didn't want to talk because he was still tired and restless – he could live with that, so long as he got better. Meanwhile, Tom had pretty much stopped eating; only living on a few bits and pieces of food every day would be enough for him.

"Come on, eat up!" Danny encouraged, pushing another plate of food up to his friend. "Just eat up mate, please?"

"Danny, I don't feel like eating." he grunted stubbornly, his first piece of dialogue for a while now. Danny mouthed an 'Oh,' and nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, guess that stomach thingy must be pretty bad still. Can I have it?"

Tom sighed. "If you insist." The brunette grinned happily, before scoffing in to the plate intended for Tom. The blonde folded his arms again, agitated and aggravated by the constant flipping of his stomach, but bottled it up for a few more minutes. He grabbed his hair and clenched it tightly in his fist, as thought the action could numb the slightly dull pain in his abdomen.

"You want paracetamol?" Jake asked, reaching up into one of the cupboards and taking out a small packet of tablets – Tom shook his head before breathing deeply. "God, you sure aren't taking it well."

"At least it'll be gone in a few more days." Danny smiled wistfully, standing up. "Hey, I'm going to go for some food later, anyone coming?"

"I can't at the minute but I'm sure Maggie and Dana can." Jake replied, pouring out another pot of tea. "Is that alright?"

"Yeah fine, whatever." he responded, before taking the keys to Dana's car, yelled for her at the bottom of the stairs and the two of them walked off to her car. Tom, who had held his breath for a few seconds, finally released it and sat upright.

Jake sighed and sat down next to him. "You've got to tell him someday, you know."

"I can't…" his voice cracked nervously and he buried his face into his hands. "I can't tell him at all… I don't know how I would… how I am going to…"

"I promise you he won't take it as if hell just froze over." Jake persuaded. "I mean, no offence or anything, but I'm sure he won't have a clue about what's going on even if you did tell him."

"He's not as stupid as he looks though." Tom smiled timidly. "But I just… it's that… what am I going to do?"

"You've got us." he coaxed. "And anyway, no-one will find out about it, I promise you."

"It's not that Jake!" he replied, obviously annoyed now. "I mean, half of me can accept that it's not right, but the other half… it wants me to have the baby."

Jake froze. "You can't Tom. End of story."

"But I want it…"

"It's not fair on the baby if you do it!" he yelled back. "This is hard enough for you as it is, let alone for what would happen if you kept it. I won't allow it!"

"Maggie would let me." he sighed, looking back firmly. Jake paused and continued to listen. "That day, it knew I was that intent on k-killing it… I can't do it, not after that."

He thought desperately as to how he could answer the blonde. "Okay, there's that… that, I can understand. But think of it long-term… could you really cope with the demands a kid brings? Could you?"

"I could try…"

"And where would you go? You can't stay here forever you know, and I don't think they'd let you on a flight back home anytime soon."

"I suppose… I could find somewhere…"

"And what about you? How would you feel about going through all of that, for so long, just for a baby? Could you do that?"

"…thank you Jake." he suddenly replied, grinning. Jake looked at him confused. "You made me realise something… I can do this, and I will. Nothing's going to stop me."

"What about Danny?"

"… okay, maybe you got me there. What the hell am I going to do?!"

* * *

"You are kidding me." Tom stated miserably as he looked at himself in the mirror later one morning. It seemed that, much to his disgust, he already began to grow out of his jeans and the zip barely reached the top. "Come on!" He pulled them up again, and finally managed to get the zipper right up to his waist. Smiling in success, he breathed out and suddenly, the zip fell back down.

"What's going on?" Tom jumped, startled, as Danny peered around the door and eyed up his dilemma. "Problems?"

"Of course not!" he replied a little too quickly, blushing as he held up his jeans. "Just… looking for my belt."

"The star one or the cassette tape one?"

"Erm, the star one."

"Sorry, I let Jake borrow it." His hand clasped to his mouth. "You don't mind, do you?"

Tom shook his head, "No, not at all." He shrugged, and tried to pull his trousers up again. "Just needed it to keep these up!"

"Yeah, or more like to keep them on – you're bulging out of them already!" he laughed – Tom tried his best not to appear hurt by that remark. "Oh come off it, I was only kidding. You probably just need a new pair."

"Guess so." he replied numbly.

Danny suddenly stared at Tom's body, taking it in as though it was something new. "You look… different. Not in a bad way, just... different."

"Erm… thanks?" Tom wasn't quite sure how to react to that, but he still smiled. "So…"

"Hey, I need to get going – tell you what; I'll buy you some new jeans while I'm out."

"Danny…" he began, but the brunette wouldn't hear him.

"Just a size up from those ones then? You're a size 38, right?"

"Danny!" he blushed, trying to get him out of the room as quickly as possible. "Yes yes, fine, whatever! Just get me some jeans!"

"I'm on it boss!" he grinned, before skipping off downstairs. Tom sighed miserably – Danny had all the energy in the world and nothing useful to channel it into. Still, at least menial tasks kept him on his feet without any questions, he thought as he decided that jeans weren't going to be a good outfit for the day, and changed into something a little comfier; baggy running trousers that he'd got a few months back. Tom slowly pulled them up, a little embarrassed to be wearing them so early on, but to his surprise they were much comfier than he expected them to be.

He sighed, turning around as he tried to see if there was anything wrong with how he looked. A slight curve just above the waistband; a little weight gain just on the top of his legs – little things like that were noticeable to him but probably couldn't be seen by others. Tom threw a jumper over his neck and pulled it down; making sure it looked baggy enough to be considered his normal size, he finally managed to carry himself downstairs to the kitchen, before tucking in to some biscuits Jake had left out on the counter.

"Hey cute pie." Maggie smiled as she passed him a cup of coffee, and she gazed at him curiously. "You've got bigger – it looks like you're keeping it to me."

Tom turned scarlet, his cheeks and face burning up quickly but refused to take a sip of coffee. "I think I am Mags… I think I'm keeping the baby." She grinned happily and raced over to embrace him.

"That's wonderful news! Really, it's brilliant Tom, congratulations!" she encouraged, ruffling his hair. "Have you told Danny…?"

"Not yet… how am I going to tell him?" he shivered, biting down on his thumb. "I mean, it's hard enough to admit that I… I… that I like him – let alone this…" Tom sighed, and then fingered with his jumper.

"Give it time, Tom. You can't expect any miracles." she smiled, kissing his cheek. "It'll all work out at the right time and in the right order, wait and see." Maggie suddenly looked as if she had just seen an angel. "I could tell him, if you want."

"But -"

"Not straight away out, just to make sure he's ready to be told by you. For example…" Here, she took Tom's hands and squeezed them in comfort. "I'd ask him if he thinks he'd ever want kids, what age he'd want them, what sort of family he wanted… and then it'd tell you if it would be right to break it to him."

"…you're sure that would work?"

Maggie nodded. "Hell yes! I mean, no offence but Danny would probably not notice such a 'cunning plan' as this one if it was painted purple and danced around naked." Tom couldn't help but snigger.

"Danny's not that stupid you know… it would take someone who knew him really well to understand…"

"Someone like you?" she asked, touching his hand again. He nodded silently, smiling all the while.

* * *

"Can't sleep?" Ashley smiled as she folded up her dress and hung it on a coathanger in Jake's wardrobe. She smirked a little at her boyfriend, before slipping on a loose dressing gown and crawled onto his bed. "Oh cheer up Jake, just be thankful you're not as unlucky as you were before."

"But that's the problem – I'm just as unlucky as I was before… heck, more unlucky than before I met you!" he sighed, crossing his arms. "I mean… I don't see any other managers in the situation where a member of their band gets pregnant, regardless of the fact that the member in question is male!"

"God, if you're still going on about that…"

"But now, he's managed to fool himself into believing that he's going to keep it and raise it!" Jake threw himself onto the bed and looked up desperately. "Ashley, he can't keep it. Tell him that."

"Tell him yourself!" she snapped, jumping on top of him.

Jake's brow became furrowed. "I have, but he won't listen to reason! And he won't even tell Danny about it, that annoys me the most."

"Hey, give him time." she encouraged him, squeezing his hand tightly. "You have to stop worrying about Tom… in a way, we were warned."

"What do you mean?" He sat up and looked her in the eye. "What, Tom had a neon sign flashing that he was pregnant above him?!"

"Don't be stupid, I actually did research. Apparently, each of the cards Madame Z showed us that night – the one of the party - was for each boy of the band, right?"

"Suppose so… what's that got to do with anything?"

Ashley looked as if she was to throw a pillow at him at any moment. "The Empress usually symbolizes a woman, but in this case it was representing Tom… she usually means that someone will have a baby, or become a mother figure – and in both of those things I think they apply to Tom here." Jake froze, trying to piece two and two together.

"So… Madame Z could tell this would happen. Maybe we can ask her if we can stop it!"

"Kind of late for that." Ashley snuggled into his chest comfortingly. "Come on sweetie, try and sleep. In the morning we can go to Madame Z if you want, and ask her for 'divine' advice." Jake wanted to say more, but Ashley silenced him with a firm kiss on his lips.

"Maybe seeing Madame Z can wait a little." They grinned at each other, before kissing passionately and slowly pulled the sheets over their heads.


End file.
